


Sleep Tight

by chimerasystem



Category: Kid Cosmic, Kid Cosmic (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Concussions, Family Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Character, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team as Family, Whump, author is autistic, autistic character headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29552211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimerasystem/pseuds/chimerasystem
Summary: It seemed like kid got hurt a lot, atleast thats what the rest of the Local Heroes noticed.(AKA: shameless fluff & whump to make myself feel better)
Relationships: The Kid & Jo, The Kid & Papa G, The Kid & Rosa, The Kid & Tuna Sandwich
Comments: 16
Kudos: 78





	1. Can't forget

Bright lights. 

Kid tossed and turned in their bed. Today was one of those bad days when they couldn't get out of bed no matter how hard they tried. The days where the horrible images that wouldn't go away would torment them and pick at their brain until there was nothing left, and they felt like a log. 

Loud honking horns.

Kid covered their head with a pillow, willing the sounds in their head to go away. They wished Papa G were here but didn't want to bother their grandpa. Tears fell onto the soft bedsheet as they grasped the pillow and pulled their head out from under it. 

They screamed in frustration and punched and hit the wall with their fist pretending it was the giant hood of the semi-truck. The truck that took away their parents forever. All they saw then was bright lights. 

The next thing they knew, Papa G was there, a hand on Kid's shoulder. "Woah, Kid… I don't know what's gotten into you but remember," He grasped Kid's other shoulder. "Freakin' out, breathe it out, kiddo." 

Kid took a deep breath as Papa G maneuvered them down to the bed. He sat down as well and waited for the kid to finish the breathing technique. "Want to talk about it now, Kiddo?" Papa G ruffled their hair lightly. "It's just… Sometimes I get memories of… what happened, and they make me really angry," Kid looked closed off, knees up to their chest drawing invisible patterns on the blanket. 

Papa G knew what this was now. When he had signed the papers to take custody of Kid, the caseworker had mentioned that the kid had developed PTSD from the accident. He was given a packet on PTSD in children and shoved out the door, a still injured Kid in tow. 

That night he read over the packet. It was full of a disheartening list of symptoms his poor grandchild might experience.

"Your child may relive the event over and over.   
Your child may experience nightmares and sleep issues.   
Your child may get angry outbursts.  
Your child may avoid places or people associated with the event."

Papa G was very familiar with the last one. 

When he brought the kid home, they wouldn't even talk to him apart from yelling that their name was Kid now and that they wanted their parents. It was a rough few weeks with the kid hiding away in a trailer, completely avoiding both the van and George out of fear.

It broke his heart. He just wanted his grandchild to love him again. But Papa G waited and waited until one day, Kid was ready to be around him once again. It started small, but within a few days, the kid was all over him. They were back to giving him hugs and excitedly talking about all the cool stuff they found scrounging the junkyard. This outburst must have been what the pamphlet was talking about, but he was just glad Kid felt comfortable enough to confide in him now. 

"I can't say I completely understand your situation, Kiddo, but I'm here for you whenever you decide to talk about this," Papa G stood up. "Whaddya say we head over to Flo's and get some chocolate milkshakes and take our mind off of this?" The kid wiped their tears with his shirt sleeve and nodded, getting up and following Papa G to the van, Tuna sandwich in tow. 

Once in the van, Papa G noticed Kid hadn't said anything. This was normal for them. "Out of words?" He asked lightly. Kid nodded. "That's okay Kiddo, those milkshakes will taste twice as good once we get there then." They nodded enthusiastically and returned to absentmindedly petting Tuna, who was asleep in their lap. Once they reached the diner, the bright lights and honking horn were forgotten in favor of a chocolate milkshake. 

Flo set their milkshakes on the table, and Kid gave her a thumbs up. Flo laughed lightly and gave them a thumbs-up back, taking in their red-rimmed eyes and the pinkish tint on their nose and deciding today wasn't a good day for playful teasing. The kid beamed at her and practically attacked their milkshake, finishing it in minutes. Papa G and Flo talked for a while Kid kicked their legs at the booth, sighing in content. No more honking horns, no more bright lights. Just the diner, Papa G, and the townsfolk. It felt warm.


	2. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid tries to practice his telekinesis until things go wrong

"This… is… SO…. COOL!" 

Kid shouted in between heavy breaths. They were practicing! They still hadn't gotten a win yet, and it was eating at them, watching everyone else score win after win against the bad guys. They'd have to get better if they wanted to get their own medal. They flew through power lines, up, down, narrowly dodging those oh so sharp cacti. 

It was fun, until they couldn't get themself to stop, the ring taking them higher and higher until suddenly they dropped. Kid let out a shrill yell and started flailing. They were gonna die. They were SO gonna die. 

Rapidly approaching the ground, the ring was activated once more. Kid breathed out of relief; they would live another day. The universe couldn't get rid of Kid Cosmic that easily! But then it flickered out again, and they felt themself drop again. 

Uh oh.

Luckily for them, it wasn't too far of a fall, but it didn't stop them from smacking their head upon a big rock on the way down. "Kid!" they heard Jo scream. There was no time for calling back as they immediately saw black.

Kid awoke sometime later to being shaken by Jo back at the Diner. "Ugh…." they groaned. It hurt so much to even think! While it had only been a few seconds, it felt like hours. 

Jo stopped shaking their shoulder and looked surprised. "Kid… Kid, can you hear me?" No response apart from another groan, and Kid tucked themself against Jo's side. "Kid," Jo frowned. Not responding was never a good thing, not to mention Kid looked pretty out of it when she glanced down at them. 

Everything about this screamed "bad news" to Jo. Kid was staring into her eyes, one pupil bigger than the other. When she felt around their head, she felt something warm and sticky on her palm. REALLY not good, then. 

Finally, Kid said something. "Jo," they paused for a long time. "What happened?" Jo scoffed and ruffled their hair lightly to avoid hurting them.

"Kid, you took a pretty crappy fall when you were out doing your whole flying thing," She said while making a flying gesture.

She snapped to get their attention as their eyes had wandered to something she couldn't make out. "Kid, hey. An ambulance is on its way. You have to stay awake for me, kay? Papa G is on his way too." The kid still wasn't looking at her, but they still heard and mumbled out a soft "Kay,"

Jo tried to keep them awake the whole time by asking them questions about their favorite comics. But it seemed that they couldn't remember much about comics right now, so she opted to just ask them random questions instead—anything to get them talking. 

Everything was going as smoothly as it could in this situation until Kid suddenly grabbed at their ears and curled into a ball. Jo startled and went to grab their shoulder to ask them what's wrong, but then she heard the sirens. 'Right, the sirens must be really loud to them right now,' Jo thought. She couldn't do much for them apart from gently petting the Kid's back. 

Once the paramedics arrived, they asked Jo a lot of questions while examining Kid and confirming that they only had a mild concussion. After making sure Kid wasn't in grave danger, they handed Flo a paper for prescriptions at the nearest pharmacy. They told her to bring Kid to a doctor in the next few days to manage their condition. The poor kid threw up twice while being examined, but they seemed to be okay after a while. 

Kid was still pretty confused looking but looked more aware now. At least they stopped throwing up.

"It's common for children with concussions to throw up a couple times." One of the paramedics said to both Jo and Flo. 

they clung to Jo like she was their lifeline. "It hurts," they mumbled and leaned into Jo again. "Jo, it really really hurts." 

Jo pet their head. "I know, kid, I'll be right back, okay? Mom and I are going to the pharmacy once Papa G shows up to get your meds so you'll feel better." Jo steered them back to a booth and sat them down in the corner next to Tuna, who was purring and rubbing his face on the Kid, concerned. The Kid smiled at Tuna and pet in between his ears. 

"You know, Tuna started doing that crazy psychic kitty thing and ran out to you, so I followed them, thank gods I did." Jo patted their head again. "I hope gramps gets here soon, poor Kid…" said Flo. They both heard the shop bell ring and turned to see that Papa G was finally here. "Be right back, Kid!" Jo opened a portal, and they both stepped through it to the pharmacy in town. 

Papa G rushed over to Kid, fussing over them. "You okay, Kiddo?" He brushed away the hair sticking to Kid's forehead. "No… It hurts a lot," Kid clutched their head. "It hurts so bad... Can't even think, Papa G." He frowned and sat down next to Kid in the booth, petting Kid's head. 

"I know, kiddo, I can't do much for ya right now, I'm sorry." 

Another portal opened, and Jo and Flo both came through with two small paper bags and a bottle of water. Jo uncapped the bottles inside and tilted Kid's head up. Kid grimaced, knowing what was coming next, and stubbornly tucked their face into Papa G's side. "This isn't gonna be pleasant, kiddo, I know, but you have to take the medication if you want the pain to go away." Papa G reasoned. Kid swallowed and took the medication, slumping back. they was so tired they could take a nap forever right now. 

George noticed Kid's lax posture and drooping eyes and scooped them up into his arms. "I'll take it from here folks, thanks for looking after Kid here," He looked down sadly at his grandchild. "They’ve had a hard life since their folks… Well, thank you for keeping them safe, Jo." Jo blushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. 

"I- Thanks, gramps, just looking out for them, y'know..." 

He waved goodbye to everyone who was still at the diner and made his way to the van. By the time George brought them to the car, Kid was out cold with the cat in their lap. "How did you get here?" He thought absently. They were driving home quietly when George heard Kid's quiet voice. "Papa G… What's Chuck doing right now?" Kid said blearily. 

Papa G laughed. It was adorable. "I dunno, Kid, maybe he's reading one of your comic books," he said jokingly. "Yeah…" Kid yawned and then turned over on their side, drifting back to sleep again, Tuna in their lap purring loudly. They drove in silence for a while until they finally got home twenty minutes later. 

"Welp, we're here, Kiddo." Papa G brought them into the house and set them on their bed, taking off the bent headphones and glasses and placing them on the nightstand. He'd fix the kid's headphones later on. "Night, kid. Night Tuna." Papa G cupped their forehead and then pulled the blanket over the kid. He stopped and rubbed the cat behind the ears too. Kid looked even smaller in such a big bed. It was simply adorable, he thought, as he flicked the lights off. 

This was going to be a long night, waking the kid up every hour. But right now, he was Papa G, and Papa G would do anything to ensure his grandchild's happiness


	3. Meltdowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get to be too much and Kid has a meltdown. Jo takes care of them.

"No! Go away!" Kid held back tears, flinching away from Jo's touch. Their hands jerking rapidly against the hem of their shirt pocket, other hand wrapped around their knees. Kid's eyes were squeezed shut, trembling against the bathroom wall. Their breathing fast and empty, sniffling and hugging their knees tightly. "Kid… What's going on?" Jo said, gently taking Kid by the hand and holding it firmly.

The kid had been a little grouchy and snappish that day, but overall normal until suddenly, they threw themself out of the booth and began to breathe raggedly. They were pacing with their headphones on, holding onto the shiny red headphones. It was a situation that Jo was never prepared to handle. It came unexpectedly and nearly scared her to death. She faintly remembered things like this happening several times when things got chaotic, but Gramps always took care of it. Jo had no idea how to help. It hurt to see her friend reduced to tears. To Jo, it felt like her heart was being twisted into with a knife over and over again. But that thought could wait. She needs to calm the kid down and fast.

Snapping back into the present, their eyes met. Kid looked away quickly and sharply jerked his twitching hand away, pulling it around his other knee—sharp green sparks threatening to dance off Kid's ring. "Listen to me. You're safe. I want to be able to help you in any way I can, Kid." Kid did not respond after nearly a minute, and Jo began to panic. She almost expected Kid to get up and run away, but they didn't - instead, they stiffened, tears threatening to form in their eyes. "Jo," Kid began." It's okay, Kid.", Jo said as she smiled awkwardly and pulled the kid into a hug they didn't resist. But it didn't last. 

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Kid fervently tried to claw their way out of Jo's tight hug. Jo, unaware of what was happening, only hugged them tighter on instinct. "Stop touching me! Let go… Jo, let go…" Jo immediately dropped her hold on Kid, shocked and a little dazed from the outburst. Kid shrieked. "Please, just go away!" they shrieked out, grasping at the sides of their headphones tightly.

Jo stretched out her arms and held Kid's hands firmly. "Kid," she began, "I don't know how to help, kid. What's wrong? Why is this happening?." Jo could practically see the gears turning in Kid's head as they looked down at their entwined hands. "Jo, it hurts… My head hurts so much. I can't breathe, Jo… I don't know what to do. Cant calm down. Everything hurts so much. Am I going crazy?" Kid shook wildly with his head pushed into Jo's chest. The pair sat there in silence for a while, with the younger occasionally weakly rubbing the hem of Jo's apron. Kid sighed. That was a good feeling. Jo looked down curiously but decided against asking why Kid was touching her apron. It could wait. For now, Jo had a little sibling to take care of.

Jo's legs got tired after sitting in place for a ridiculous amount of time, so she maneuvered Kid through a portal and into their trailer bed to rest. After tucking Kid into the bed and turning off the lights, Kid seemed to have calmed down significantly. Their rapid breathing had dissolved into light, huffing as they repeatedly rubbed the hem of the thick blanket covering them. Eventually, Kid looked in Jo's direction, sobered. "Not fair, Jo…" Jo's heart dropped. Seeing her little friend so lost and in so much pain hurt so much in a way she could not explain. She wanted all their pain to go away and for their routinely happy, smiling face to come back.

The next time Kid had begun to act differently when Papa G wasn't around, Jo was prepared. Though she wasn't totally sure what caused Kid to act like this, she knew how to de-escalate it. She immediately portals Kid to the dark trailer, tucked them in once again, and sat against the bed beside them, waiting patiently for them to calm once again. Kid felt warm, stewing in their thoughts. Vague memories of two blurry figures-mom and dad- guiding them through these situations. They really wished they had a name for it. "Jo" Kid shook Jo's arm to make sure she was awake. Jo stirred. It looks like she hadn't been sleeping, after all, just playing on her phone. "Thanks, Jo… For helping me out when I get all 'blah.'" Kid gestured vaguely. "No problem, Kid, I'm always here to help you," Kid rubbed the blanket again as the two fell into a comfortable silence.

Touching the blanket and the apron felt so good, but they had no idea why. "Do you like that texture?" A little stunned that Jo noticed, Kid, nodded their head vigorously. "Yeah… I dunno why, but it calms me down." Jo smiled at them. "Well, I'll just have to get you your own apron cause you like it so much!" Kid pressed their palms against their eyes, still a little embarrassed, while hiding a smile beneath the corner of the blanket. "Yeah..."


End file.
